This is my concluding blog for 703, but my work is far from over. I am continuing to make adjustments to my website, my poster and my final presentation video. It is difficult to picture the weeks ahead without assignments, and projects.
The website is a collection of all our hard work this year, and you can't help but feel reflective as you work on it. In the beginning, as I looked at each of the assignments to be included, I had only fuzzy memory of the work that I was supposed to include, but as I dove back into this blog, and into previous assignments, I remembered each of them with clarity. It was only then that I began to understand how much had been accomplished since we all began this journey last spring. It isn't just that I can see how including research can improve your teaching technique, but more than that, a spirit of curiosity has invaded the way approach my teaching. As I plan for the future I can see how considering things from new or unique perspectives, can drive me into more research and testing in the classroom. So much can be gained from learning new techniques and approaches in the classroom. And more than that, so much can be gained from looking thoughtfully at the things that I am already teaching. Is there really a benefit to teaching students coding? Does drawing diagrams truly improve students mathematical understanding? Can problem-solving with robotics improve a students mathematical thinking? These are just some of questions that I have been thinking about. Working in this program has pushed me to have a more "scientific" approach to my teaching. I have been conducting data cycles for the last few years with my students, but these months in the Touro program has helped me to dig deeper into these data cycles and to keep an eye on whether the instruction being conducted, is achieving the desired goals. I hope to carry both this scientific approach and spirit of curiosity with me as I continue on my teaching journey.
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Working on my script for my 90 second video reminded me of how many, many, MANY details go into even the smallest piece of film. Through, twists and turns that are difficult to explain in a blog, my class and I were filmed for a year for a documentary that is coming out soon. The amount of equipment required for this simple shoot was astounding.
For even a simple 90 second spot, you've got to include a ton of different elements to make sure that you get your message across. Looking at all the examples, reminded me how very quickly 90 seconds can go past. I tried t keep some really important elements in mind.
1. Audience
I wanted to stay focused on my audience. My capstone project, like most, is aimed toward teachers. Teachers have to attend a lot of training and watch a lot of presentations. They are usually pressed for time. I wanted to draw my audience in by making my script dynamic and less a presentation with dull facts. In short, I aim to provide them with a picture of what my entire capstone.
2. Purpose
It is essential to stay on target and keep your purpose in your sight line. If the purpose of my video is to cause those who experience to look more closely at my capstone project, then my aim must be to cause curiosity. As I worked on my various drafts of script, it was this that I tried to keep in mind. I kept asking myself, "What words, images and explanations would cause a teacher to want to learn more about gamification?"
3. Creativity
This was really important to me as I worked on my drafts. Everyone has had to sit through presentation after presentation, and I am hoping to make my video a bit more creative. I want it to be interesting and informative. I am hoping that my finished product will be unique but still including all the essential elements of the assignment. I am hoping that if it is creative enough, it will be a focal point that draws people to the website, and even more importantly, pushes them to consider utilizing gamification in their classrooms. I will be using WeVideo because I am familiar with it. I have already made three videos for my students this year with it. Whenever I launch a new quest for my students, I create a video launch. I love the way you can edit multiple layers of both sound and film in WeVideo, and how easy it is to incorporate green screen elements whenever necessary. I also consider Adobe Spark, as I love all the elements you can use with it, but wanted to focus on making my video, not on how to make a video. I plan on exploring Adobe Spark more in the future.
The objective of transliteracy is clarity of communication. Studying it is really asking yourself the important questions:
I have been teaching for over twenty years, and in that time the world around me has definitely changed! When I first started teaching, digital lessons weren't even a thought and now I can surf the internet to find all kinds of wonderful ideas to aid my teaching of any subject. For example, I recently added Kindergartners and first graders to my technology design lab. This would have been really overwhelming in my first years. However, I immediately went to my computer and began researching other teachers who instruct younger students about tech. It is amazing how much information and support I've gained from connecting with other tech educators.
When considering my own capstone, I have been thinking about the way that I learn and improve as an educator. I go to the web first. I do it before anything else. I love reading articles, but especially enjoy looking at screen casts, or brief videos that share information quickly. I am usually watching them with a second tab open so that I can try what is being taught while watching the video. I think this instant, personal instruction is a very effective way to support learners.
The last four years I have added so many new ways for my students to learn, communicate and express understanding. These are just a few that I have used in my classroom:
Nearpod Night Zoo Keeper Google Classroom Google Drive Google Forms Google Sheets Quizziz Weebly Khan Academy Teach Your Monster to Read Typing Web Bloxels Clicking on the Weebly link, you can really see my transformation. It is a website that I've been building for the last three years and it is always changing. Last week, in order to make some of the links more accessible to my struggling readers, and younger students, I converted all my "buttons" to images. Instead of struggling to read the text on the buttons, students can look for an icon or image and quickly find what they are searching for. This has really increased classroom learning time already. Students can quickly start building, creating, playing and learning. It was a simple change that leveled the playing field for my students. Now all my students have the same amount of work time. Struggling readers can access websites as quickly as those that are highly proficient, and all students can start creating nearly instantly. Transliteracy really pushes educators to consider what is their purpose. I know it is pushed me to consider what is the most essential. Do I keep doing things the way they have always been done? Is that what is most important? Or is it more important to find new and dynamic ways to impact my students? The answer is pretty obvious. |
AuthorJen has been teaching school for awhile now. She's learned some stuff, but she's got tons more to learn. Archives
October 2017
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